Where is My Tax Money Spent? A Visual Guide

Today, I’d like to introduce my readers to a wonderful resource I found a few weeks ago that can tell you exactly where your tax money is going. Produced by Jess Backman at WallStats.com, this 6-square-foot poster of goodness describes, in painstakingly articulate detail, each branch and department of government and how much of the budget it consumes.It has sold over 5,000 copies to date.

I have never before seen a “mind map” style chart so well done. The “Death and Taxes” poster was created in 2004 and caught on in popularity about 2 years later. The poster has been updated every year with additional departments, newer graphics, and more accurate information. From WallStats’ about page:

“It took me a few years to understand the complexity, redundancy, and general obfuscation the government uses in the budget process, then I had to make sense of it all to the viewer.”

WallStats.com is the result of a migration to a new webpage for the 2009 version. You can view the entire poster with zoom level details on the site, and purchase the printed copy for $24. I’d love to have this sucker hanging on my wall. Let me know what you think!